Labrador elects Liberal Philip Earle as MP

Philip Earle was the first MP-Elect announced to have won his riding in Canada during Monday’s federal election. The Liberal candidate won an estimated 51.5 per cent of the vote, with Conservative candidate Ella Wallace behind him at 41.7 per cent, and NDP candidate Marius Normore garnering 6.8 per cent of the vote. 

“I’m humbled,” Earle told The Independent Monday night at Hotel North 2 in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. “Labradorians are unique people, and if you sense that I’m emotional, I truly am. And to think, I would have the honor to represent them gives me a deep burden of responsibility.” 

The former Air Borealis VP pledged Monday night to work for all Labradorians, whether they chose to vote for him or not, saying Conservative and NDP voters are not the enemy, and instead are his neighbours and community members. 

“We’re not that far apart. As you break down the conversations, Labradorians are strong to the core, so we’re only a degree apart,” Earle said. “And that, for me, gives me more motivation to reach out to build because if we’re going to build Labrador strong, we’re going to build Canadian or Canada strong, it’s going to take all of us working together. And I believe I can do that.” 

Earle replaces Liberal MP Yvonne Jones, who announced in January she would not run in the election in order to focus on her personal work. Jones recently published a book detailing her political career and personal challenges, including childhood abuse. 

Elections Canada is reporting that 11,284 valid votes were counted in Labrador, of 19,929 eligible voters. That’s a voter turnout of around 56.6 per cent. 

Earle enters the role at a challenging time in Labrador. Communities are facing a lack of housing, insufficient support for people battling addiction, and Innu continuing a decades-long land claim negotiation with Canada.

On the campaign trail, Earle said he would be a strong advocate to build more homes, study the housing crisis, work with the federal government to create specific programs for northern communities, remove GST from homes that are less than $1 million, and that it will take collaboration with Indigenous governments to resolve the housing crisis in the long-term. 

Earle says studying the housing crisis doesn’t mean putting it off, but instead understanding the complexities, especially in northern communities. “I don’t believe that we’ve ever gotten to a point where people fully understand the severity of the matter at hand,” he told The Independent in an April 17 interview.

Innu and Inuit communities are also fighting the NunatuKavut Community Council’s efforts to gain federal recognition as an Indigenous group with Section 35 Aboriginal rights under federal laws. On the campaign trail, Earle said he’s very much aware of the public conversations happening around the negotiations, allegations that NunatuKavut is not a legitimate Inuit group, and the sensitivities around the issue — and that it’s his role to listen. 

“I need to understand,” he said on April 17. “In my full career, in my full lifetime, I’ve learned that it is better to listen than it is to speak. This is a very challenging subject, and my position right now is to listen to the parties to better understand it.”

Earle has also said that establishing a primary search and rescue site in Labrador would be one of his top and most urgent priorities if elected. He said he will never forget what happened to 14-year-old Burton Winters in 2012, when a rescue helicopter took two days to arrive and Winters died on the sea ice after becoming lost on a snowmobile.

“That delay was unacceptable, and even one preventable loss is one too many. Labradorians deserve reliable, timely access to search and rescue services,” Earle said in an April 19 statement. “Our communities rely heavily on the land and sea, and it’s essential that we have the support we need when emergencies happen.”

The Independent’s federal election coverage is supported by the Covering Canada: Election 2025 Fund.